“This day in our shipwreck and aeronautical wreck history”
1800: Benjamin, this wooden sailing sloop wrecked in Gordon's Bay in False Bay in the Western Cape with the loss of all hands.
1837: Royal William, this wooden sailing schooner wrecked off Green Point in Table Bay in the Western Cape whilst trying to enter Table Bay at night.
1844: St. Mungo, this wooden sailing barque wrecked on the eponymous St. Mungo Point near Cape Agulhas in the Western Cape. Of the 17 strong crew, ten were lost.
1854: Charlotte, this 3-masted wooden sailing troopship wrecked on the rocks near Jetty Street in Port Elizabeth in the Eastern Cape. They attempted to enter Table Bay for provisions but due to adverse winds sailed into Algoa Bay and anchored there on the 19th of September. The cables parted in a south-easterly gale at night and although at first it seemed that they would manage to sail out the storm, more of its cables parted and after striking the rocks just below Jetty Street, the entire vessel started breaking up and sinking. The heavy seas inhibited most assistance from the shore and although some lines reached the troopship, owing to the Manby mortar, nobody noticed the wrecking event at first because of the dark. Those that survived managed to cling to the floating wreckage long enough to reach shore. Of the 227 that were on board, 117 lives were lost that day, 18 crewmen, 62 soldiers of the 27th Regiment, 11 women, and all 26 children. The wreck now lies beneath reclaimed land.
1865: Piscataqua, this wooden sailing vessel wrecked in Granger Bay in Table Bay in the Western Cape.
“This day in our shipwreck and aeronautical wreck history”
1740: De Visch, this Dutch East Indiaman ran ashore at night while attempting to come to anchor in a stiff gale near the Green Point lighthouse in Table Bay in the Western Cape.
A painting depicting the wrecking event of De Visch (1740), by Jürgen Leewenberg in 1740, housed in the National Library of South Africa
Accounts of the casualties differ, with some claiming that the sick on board, who were below decks drowned along with one other person, and another account claims that only two men and a boy drowned. Today, granite blocks, that were part of the cargo, can still be seen littered at the wreck site.
1927: Ulundi II, this composite British steam-powered tug was scuttled south west of Cape Recife in the Eastern Cape.
The Ulundi II (1927) ferrying passengers around 1903 in Algoa Bay
1976: Larkspur, this South African fishing vessel was scuttled by the South African Navy during a naval exercise off the Cape Peninsula in the Western Cape.
“This day in our shipwreck and aeronautical wreck history”
1796: Gothenburg, this Swedish East Indiaman wrecked at Green Point in the Western Cape.
1848: Harriet, this sailing schooner wrecked on the lee bank of the Breede River in the Western Cape whilst leaving the river.
1943: U-160 terrorised South African waters by attacking transport convoys that were delivering supplies for the war effort, claiming in total six ships and causing damage to two more over the course of nine days.
The James B Stephens (1943) after the attack
On this day, U-160 attacked the James B Stephens, an American liberty ship that was travelling unescorted about 240 km north-east of Durban in KwaZulu-Natal. The first torpedo struck on the port side with the explosion setting the fuel oil on fire and the ship settling rapidly by the bow. The 63 that were on board abandoned ship in four lifeboats and three rafts. The coup de grâce also struck on the port side, breaking the ship in two. This explosion overturned a lifeboat and caused three men to be ejected from one of the other lifeboats. All were picked up by the two remaining lifeboats, except for one guard who could not swim and did not have a life jacket on. Three days later, on the 11th of March, an aircraft spotted the boats and directed the HMS Norwich City to pick up the 19 survivors.
The image of U-160 captured from U-177 in April 1943. U-160 was sunk in June 1943 off the Azores islands in the North Atlantic by American aircrafts
On the 12th of March, the HMS Nigeria picked up a further 30 survivors. On the 14th of March, 6 days after the attack, the last survivors were spotted less than 2 km from Durban by aircraft. A SAAF crash boat was sent to pick them up. As for the fate of the ship, both sections remained afloat and burned into the morning of the 9th. An allied warship scuttled the stern section by gunfire and attempts were made to tow the fore section to Durban, but it sank under tow in heavy seas.
2009: Monie Marine, this South African fishing vessel collided with the Maritime Master and sank off Cape Recife in the Eastern Cape. The crew of 16 made it safely onto the then Department of Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries inshore patrol vessel, the Lillian Ngoyi.
African Bush Camps - Our Lolebezi Lodge has officially opened!
Set in the breathtaking, untouched wilds of the Lower Zambezi National Park in Zambia, Lolebezi is the latest property in the African Bush Camps family and will undoubtably be one of the most spectacular.
Located in the remote Eastern area of the park, the lodge has been designed to make the most of the one kilometre of private river frontage. Waking up with the majestic Zambezi River flowing just in front of your room is a truly exceptional experience!
The Lower Zambezi is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and has some of the best wildlife sightings in the world. Famous for its leopard population and elephant herds, this amazing destination is best experienced on foot with one of African Bush Camps’ experienced guides. Walking through the towering acacia forests, searching for Africa’s famous wildlife is simply one of life’s unbeatable adventures.
The contemporary lodge effortlessly incorporates the luxury expected in a world-class safari camp with a modest elegance and simplicity that can only be found in the African bush.
[Luxury Zambia Special]
Stay 7, Pay 6!
°°RSP: from 4686 USD
°°Valid for travel until 21 December 2022
[Thorntree and Lolebezi]
Please note that our Our 2023 rates have had an update!
[Welcome our new Sales Manager]
We are pleased to announce the appointment of Stuart Pittorino as the new Sales Manager for African Bush Camps.
Stuart was born and schooled in South Africa before spending time in Australia where he completed his Bachelor of Commerce degree at Monash University, Melbourne. Stuart held a number of sales roles before embarking on a career in the film and movie industry, where he spent 10+ years working for multiple companies and held a variety of roles including logistics, operations and financial supervision.
He later joined the tourism sector working as a Sales Manager, leading teams, developing business plans, overseeing sales performance, as well as training, developing and motivating teams.
African Bush Camps welcomes Stuart and wishes him every success in this new chapter with us!
Please join us in sharing and conserving Africa together.
African Bush Camps, Unit 109b, The Foundry, Prestwich Street, Green Point, Cape Town, Western Cape 8001, South Africa
Wreck and reef dive. Shore or boat access. Maximum depth is around 7 m. Some of the wreckage is very shallow and in the surf zone.
YouTube aerial video of RMS Athens shipwreck remains:
Union Company iron steam screw barque of 739 tons, built in 1856. Wrecked between Mouille Point and Green Point on 17 May 1865 during a north-west gale while trying to steam out of Table Bay. The site can be identified by the remains of the engine-block, which is visible above the water.
The site is not in a Marine Protected Area. A permit is not required.
Name
The "Royal Mail Ship Athens" was an iron steam screw barque of 739 tons, built in 1856 by Alexander Denny of Dumbarton, Scotland in yard no 42 and operated by the Union shipping company. She was 739 gross and 502 net tonnages. Her dimensions were 68.45 m x 9.17 m x 5.02 m. She had simple two-cylinder engines by Tulloch and Denny with 130 horsepower and could make eight to 11 knots. She was originally built for the Liverpool to Constantinople service for J.P. Schilizzi, and spent the first years of her career trading between the UK and the Mediterranean. In May 1858, she was bought by the Union Line for the South African Service. She spent the next six years as a mail steamer on the western route and then started the Mauritius Mail Service on 18 November 1864. She only completed a few voyages in this new service before her untimely end in 1865.
It was wrecked between Mouille Point and Green Point on 17 May, 1865 at night after the boiler fires were extinguished by heavy seas during a north-west gale while trying to steam out of Table Bay. The ship had been lying at anchor while preparing for a voyage to Mauritius. The site can be identified by the remains of the engine-block, which is visible above the water. The Piscataqua was wrecked at the same place.
The Athens represents the first wave of successful screw-driven steamers as opposed to the till-then prevalent paddle steamers. As a steamship, her voyages were also more predictable than sail-driven vessels. However, her engines were still quite basic compared to the later norm, the compound engine, which was incidentally successfully used for the first time by the Pacific Steam Navigation Company in 1856 – the year Athens was built. It was a sign of the times that the 1850s abounded with different engine designs, as engineers attempted to come up with solutions to the myriad of problems raised not only by the technical requirements of steamships, but also by the economic constraints. This period was characterised by unprecedented industrial development in Britain with the inevitable rise and fall of companies. As part of the Schilizzi Company, the Athens represented the up-and coming Greek business community in Liverpool. Later the ship was, with her sister ships, also partly responsible for the early success of the Union Line in South Africa. This embedded her not only in the general history of South Africa, but also in the economic history and development of our country. Therefore, the Athens was a fairly typical steamship of her time with a successful career up to the disaster in 1865. She also had her fair share of captains, as it was a custom to rotate captains among the ships. Her last captain was David Smith.
Visibility
In conditions when the site is diveable, the visibility will generally be quite good, and the site is very shallow, so there will usually be good light, but the site is also largely in the surf zone, so if there is anything of a break, the visibility may be reduced by wave action picking up any sand and shell particles that may be among the rocks.
Topography
Rocks form ridges and gullies, aligned in general perpendicular to the shoreline. The major landmark of the site is a low pressure piston and part of the cylinder from the ship's engine, standing on top of the reef and exposed above the water.
Geology: Precambrian sedimentary rocks, probably of the Tygerberg formation of the Malmesbury series. Strike appears to be north-south, Dip is nearly vertical. The rock appears to be very resistant to wear and fractures in nearly rectangular blocks. The natural colour is probably a dark grey.
Conditions
The surge can be quite strong. The site is very exposed to westerly seas, and moderately exposed to south westerly swell, so should be dived in relatively flat seas, and is most likely to be good in summer. The site is completely protected from waves from the south east and can be dived during south easterly winds with little risk.
A Parliamentary inspection was scheduled for 17 May on the progress of the breakwater works in Table Bay harbour that started in 1860. This had to be cancelled, because on that day one of the most violent gales ever known swept over Table Bay. It was a true test for the partially completed construction and for the ships in the roadstead. One of these was the Athens with its brand new master David Smith. Of the officers, only Smith and Mr Ricketts, the Chief Officer, were on board as the second and third officers were ashore on leave. In the afternoon, Ricketts left the Athens to help the crew of a swamped boat and was eventually picked up by the Dane, Smith’s old ship. The sea was too rough for him to return to the Athens. David Smith was now the only officer aboard the Athens. Smith had only a day or so before been transferred to the Athens – she was a promotion as she was a larger vessel than his previous command on the Dane. He probably did not know what the vessel’s capabilities were or at least overestimated the ship. This could be the reason that, when the last anchor cable snapped at 18:00, he decided to steam out to sea instead of beaching the valuable ship in the safer area close to the Castle. Something obviously went wrong – the ship made little headway and at some point lost her engine power running aground close to Green Point. No help was forthcoming from the shore, as there were no Manby Rocket Apparatus available to shoot a line out to the ship. The sea was too rough to launch boats. A bonfire was lit, so the hapless sailors aboard the Athens knew that they were not forgotten by those ashore. The newspaper reports of the time mention that a “…continued wail of anguish and appeals of help came from the Steamer”. At 22:00, it went ominously quiet. Smith and his crew of 28 were no more. One can’t help but wonder that if the Athens had the newer, more powerful compound engines, she might have been able to steam out to sea. Smith’s actions were true to his character in trying to save the valuable vessel for its owners, but maybe rash in that he did not know her or her crew well. The tragedy also underlined the need for more substantial harbour works to protect shipping in the event of heavy weather. This was evident in 1878, when a gale with “seas being even more continuously heavy and the force of the wind greater than on the occasion of the gale in 1865” lashed the Cape. Only five lives were lost compared to the sixty of 1865; a true testimony of the effectiveness of the then still incomplete breakwater.
This site can be accessed from a boat or from shore. The site is about 1 km from the Oceana Power Boat Club slipway at Granger Bay.
Follow Beach Road from Sea Point to Mouille Point past the Green Point lighthouse. Pass Fritz Sonnenberg Road on the right and look for the car park on the left. The wreck lies a little further west. Part of the engine block can be seen approximately 75 m out from the high water mark. It is easiest to approach by way of the parallel gullies leading to the site.
Features
Iron wreck of historical interest. Other wrecks in the vicinity include the Piscataqua, an American ship of 890 tons, wrecked here on 19 July 1865. The wreckage of the Athens is very broken up, and what remains is mostly structural iron sections heavy enough to have survived this long and which have been wedged into the reef and concreted there by the combination of rust and encrustations of marine life. In most cases the wreckage requires close inspection to distinguish it from the reef.
Photography
There will usually be plenty of light, adequate for wide angle shots, but a flash may still be necessary for macro work. The subjects are somewhat limited. Most of the wreckage will look very much like the reef in a photo, and the marine life is not particularly diverse. Avoid big cameras with long strobe arms, they will snag when you are washed through the kelp by the surge.
Hazards
The surge and breaking waves in the shallower areas could be a problem in rough weather and to the weaker or less experienced diver.
Skills
No special skills recommended. Fitness should be sufficient to deal with the wave conditions of the day.
Equipment
No special equipment recommended. Avoid all dangling equipment that can hook on the kelp. Stay streamlined.
Athens
Built in 1856, the Athens, a vessel of 739 tons was later purchased by the Union Steam Ship Company from the Liverpool firm of Schillizzi in 1858. For six years she led an uneventful life running a regular Mail service from Southampton to the Cape.
The Athens.
On May 16th 1865 the Athens was lying in Table Bay. The weather was atrocious, and out of the twenty eight vessels anchored in the Bay that day seventeen were to be lost in the storm that followed. As night fell the gale increased, and the Athens’s anchor cable parted. Her Captain, David Smith, however did not panic but managed to get the ship underway and tried to get her out to the open sea.
The vessel managed to round Mouille Point but was continually deluged by mountainous sea’s which eventually smashed through the skylight of her engine room and drowned the boiler fires.
Captain David Smith.
Now helpless the Athens was driven onto the rocks between Mouille Point and Green Point. Although she was only a short distance from those would be rescuers that now lined the shore, it was not possible for them to give any aid, except to light flares to guide any one who tried to get ashore, or any one who tried to effect a rescue. None did.
The remains still show at low water.
By morning it was apparent that all twenty nine souls on board had perished. The only survivor was a pig, which much to its surprise was washed up safe and sound on the beach. It was later found that the lighthouse had no rescue gear at all, not even some rope or lanterns. Today the last remains of the Athens can still be seen sticking out of the water at Mouille Point.
Directions to the Wreck.
Stroll along the sea front through Sea Point, and you will see in front of you the Mouille Point Lighthouse. Carry on about a hundred yards towards the Victoria and Alfred complex and you will see the remains of the Athens sticking out of the water. The Island that you see in the distance is Robben Island where Nelson Mandela was incarcerated. You can visit the jail now by boat from the V&A and be shown around by ex inmates.
South Africa: Western Cape shipwrecks: "SA Seafarer" | Кораблекрушения у побережья Западного Кейпа, ЮАР
SA Seafarer потерпел крушение у маяка района Green Point, Кейптаун, Южная Африка ночью 1 июля 1966. На борту находился экипаж из 63 человек и 12 пассажиров, включая шестимесячного ребенка. Груз составил 7800 тонн и включал тысячи бутылок виски и смертоносную партию тетраэтилсвинца.
Wreck of the SA Seafarer close to the Green Point Lighthouse. The S.A.A.F. rescued all on board.
The stranding of the S.A. Seafarer on Friday 1st July 1966, is all but forgotten, except by the affected few, but it has been referred to as “a tragic milestone” in South African maritime history. It would have been worse but for a handful of S.A.A.F. men flying Aloutte helicopters who battled against strong winds to lift off the passengers and crew of the stricken vessel.
Cargo Ship 'South African Seafarer', early 1960s, whilst still in one piece:
Originally named Clan Shaw, then Steenbok and finally S.A. Seafarer, the ship was owned by the Springbok Shipping Co when she arrived off her home port of Cape Town on the evening of June 30, 1966. On board were a crew of 63 and 12 passengers, including a six-month-old baby. The cargo amounted to 7,800 tons and included thousands of bottles of whiskey, over 300 different-titled magazines and a lethal consignment of tetra-ethyl-lead.
The weather was bad, the sea rough with a heavy swell running, and there was intermittent rain and a north westerly wind blowing at 30 knots. Port Captain Motson, of Cape Town, decided it would be safer to handle the ship by day and told the master, 32-year-old, Captain James Branch, to remain clear of the harbour and bay until morning.
When Capt Branch received the message the S.A. Seafarer was three to four miles north-west of Robben Island. For about an hour the engines were stopped and the vessel drifted but at approximately 20:30 the master went to the bridge and set a course of 230° with an option to steer 240° if it was found the ship rode more comfortably. At 22:00 Capt Branch reviewed the situation and again at midnight he returned to the bridge. By this time the weather had improved and the wind speed was down to 10 knots, with visibility considerably improved. The lighthouses at Green Point, Milnerton and Robben Island were all visible.
Although the Port Captain had intended his message to be an instruction, Capt Branch regarded it as advisory and decided to enter Table Bay and proceed to an anchorage. The task seemed simple enough and as the ship was equipped with gyro compass, magnetic compass, echo sounding apparatus, direction finder, radar and Decca Navigator, he did not foresee any difficulty. Undoubtedly, there were certain risks involved but Capt Branch did not deem them dangerous. What he did not know was that a series of small errors had already begun to place the ship in jeopardy.
The third officer had found that he could not hold the ship on a course of 230°/240° with the ship travelling dead slow and he had altered course to 260°, but he made no mention of the alteration to the master and neither did he inform the second officer when the latter took over the watch at midnight. The third officer also failed to fix the ship’s position satisfactorily before handing over. When Capt Branch returned to the bridge at midnight he, without checking the ship’s position, rang down for “Full ahead” and turned the vessel to leeward, prior to setting a course into Table Bay. The ship’s head was steadied on a course for Milnerton Light but at this stage Green Point and Milnerton lights were close together and the quarter master could identify neither by its flash.
On assuming watch at midnight the second officer obtained a position by taking two bearings but failed to fix his position by taking a third bearing on Robben Island light. Nor did he lay off, on the chart, the course set by Capt Branch. Had he done so he would have discovered how perilously close they were to the dangers off Green Point. The second officer took another bearing at 00:23 and at this time, Capt Branch stopped engines and checked the ship’s ability to go astern. Four minutes later the second officer took a third fix and entered the ship’s position on the chart. When he had finished he commented that the rocks on the shore were clearly visible when the beam of light from the lighthouse fell upon them. It was about this time that the boatswain uttered a warning of breakers ahead. The master immediately put the ship astern and once clear of the area the position of the ship was again fixed. Satisfied that he was clear of danger, Capt Branch turned the ship to port and ordered “Slow ahead”. Then, when he was sure that they were heading for deeper water, he rang down for “Half ahead”. At 00:37 the boatswain once again warned of breakers ahead. The master ordered the ship hard to port but it was too late. There was a sudden lurch and the ship was on the reef, off Green Point.
As the engine-room began to flood the engines were shut down for fear of an explosion and Capt Branch realised that the ship was in grave danger. Every wave that broke over the SA.Seafarer pushed her further and further onto the reef. Hurriedly, but calmly, the passengers and crew gathered in the lounge while they awaited instructions from the master. By this time it was obvious that there was no chance of saving the vessel. The first message from the ship was one of urgency: “Please take off passengers and crew as soon as possible”. Rescue operations from the shore were immediately set into motion. The tugs F.T. Bates and C.G. White left Duncan Dock and maneuvered into position outside the breakers off Green Point in order to render whatever assistance possible.
As time dragged on several attempts were made to rig a breeches buoy but the wind and mountainous seas played havoc with the lines, constantly carrying them away and fouling them in the rocks. It was then decided that this method would be too hazardous and that a helicopter rescue should be attempted at first light. At 04:42, after being subjected to massive seas and waves, the S. A. Seafarer broke her back. Rescue operations were now being hampered by lack of adequate light and it was decided to use the beam from Green Point lighthouse. The revolving mechanism was therefore stopped and the beam focused on the S.A. Seafarer. A helicopter flown by Commandant Tatham was then maneuvered into position over the stricken vessel in an endeavour to lower a walkie-talkie and thus establish direct communication with the shore; messages were previously being relayed to the rescue crew on the shore via Cape Town Radio. The first attempt was a disaster and the walkie-talkie was smashed but the second attempt was fruitful and direct ship-to-shore communication was established.
Although the forward section of the vessel was steady the stern section rocked violently as each wave struck. By this time those on board had gathered in and around the master’s, cabin as it was feared that the ship’s mast would fall onto the lounge area. Even in this terrible predicament, tea and biscuits were served to the crew and passengers. Helicopter rescue operations started at dawn and at 07:55 the first passenger, Mrs. Louise Waterson, was safely lifted to shore. Shortly after she was joined by her husband. From then on the rescue operation ran smoothly and at 10:15 Capt Branch was the last person to leave.
For weeks after the stranding wreckage from the SA. Seafarer continued to be washed ashore. Drums of tra-ethyl-lead were feared to have burst as hundreds of dead crayfish and perlemoen were washed ashore but laboratory tests revealed that they had actually been killed by a wood preservative, pentachiorophenol, which had been carried in the ship’s hold.
The subsequent court of inquiry found Capt Branch negligent on three counts:
(1) Setting an unsafe course;
(2) Stopping the vessel and putting the engines astern at a time when she was within two cables of foul ground at Green Point and on a lee shore; and
(3) Not appreciating the seriousness of the situation even at this late stage and not ordering “Full astern” to take the vessel clear of danger.
Capt Branch’s certificate of competency as master was suspended for two years and the court also reprimanded the second officer for negligence in failing to warn the master of the imprudence of their course before the stranding. During the hearing Capt Branch told the court that the stranding could have been caused by a shoal extending further seaward than shown on the chart, or by an uncharted pinnacle in the line of his course. In order to remove any doubt a survey was carried out by an underwater “sledge” pulled by a power boat. Nothing was found.
A contract to get rid of the wreck was eventually awarded to a scrap metal firm and today there is no visible evidence of the disaster.
By Robin Thompson
Movietone news film: Ordeal of The Seafarer:
Crew of one of the three helicopters used in the rescue
Heroes of the rescue were the men of 17 Squadron Maritime Group, using three helicopters. Photographed after the operation was one of the crews - with Cmdt. Geoff Tatham (right), OC of 17 Squadron, in command:
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